Chapter 459

Chapter 459: Battle of the Essence

This was not over yet. As the Blood Separation Sect cultivator launched his attack, the other two were unwilling to fall behind.

The Xuantian Sect cultivator now wielded a flying sword in hand. This flying sword was a light silver color, a treasure level flying sword.

Yet, as he wielded it, a sharp essence of the sword concealed itself around the sword’s body.

This was the essence of the sword!

It was the same essence Ji Yang had initially sought to comprehend, but unfortunately, although Ji Yang usually employed Thousands of Sword Energies and even had a sword cultivation technique, he had not yet grasped this specific essence.

After summoning the flying sword, the Xuantian Sect cultivator shot out several sword energies toward Ji Yang.

Each sword energy gave Ji Yang an irresistible illusion; this was the man’s essence of the sword—sharp, confident, and unparalleled.

Even though Ji Yang was surrounded by the slowing essence of the Way, these sword energies were unaffected. Of course, it also helped that the Blood Separation Sect cultivator was not actively targeting him.

Watching the incoming sword energies, Ji Yang realized that perhaps after this battle, he too could comprehend the essence of the sword.

The Cultivation World has many essences, and no single essence can only be comprehended by one person.

Many cultivators grasp the same essence, but in battle, one’s realm and the strength of their comprehension determine victory.

Even if it is the same essence, different cultivators have varying insights into it.

After the Xuantian Sect cultivator unleashed his sword energies, the Heaven Demon Sect cultivator did not remain a bystander.

At this moment, the Heaven Demon Sect cultivator held a black flag, adorned with several skull symbols.

“Soul Cultivation Flag?” Ji Yang exclaimed in surprise.

“What is this?”

Hearing Ji Yang’s shout, the Heaven Demon Sect cultivator paused for a moment and then coldly snorted,

“This is the Seven Stars Soul Drawing Flag; you will know its power shortly!”

As the Heaven Demon Sect cultivator waved the flag, Ji Yang was instantly engulfed in endless darkness. Within that darkness, Ji Yang felt as if his primordial spirits were being drawn in.

Moreover, numerous hoarse howls echoed around him, causing Ji Yang’s primordial spirits to tremble.

It seemed this was an essence related to primordial spirits and had attack capabilities as well.

Previously, when restricted by the Soul Fixing Mirror, this person was the one most likely to escape aside from Ji Yang.

However, compared to this person’s essence, Ji Yang sensed a greater threat from the other two; after all, he had always excelled in the realm of primordial spirits.

Now, the three of them took things seriously. Their combined attacks far surpassed their previous efforts. It seemed the three had not shown their true abilities before.

Facing the joint assaults of the three, Ji Yang no longer hesitated. As the essence of war surfaced within him, he clearly saw the trajectories of the incoming attacks.

The earlier restraining effect of the slowing essence became negligible under the impact of Ji Yang’s essence.

Sensing the situation, the Blood Separation Sect cultivator poured more spiritual energy into his jade ruyi. He did not expect to completely restrict Ji Yang but hoped to create a better attacking environment for the other two.

At that moment, the sword energies shot forth from the Xuantian Sect cultivator were closing in on Ji Yang, carrying a formidable power that was far from ordinary. Even before touching Ji Yang’s body, they already made him feel the sharpness.

Although his body was strong, he could not withstand these sword energies directly at that moment.

In the next instant, Ji Yang found a hoe in his hand.

As Ji Yang swung the hoe, several sword energies met him head-on. Seeing Ji Yang’s counterattack, the three exchanged sly smiles. This boy was actually trying to use ordinary sword energies to combat sword energies imbued with essence.

They knew that the essence of the sword wielded by the Xuantian Sect cultivator was something even they would not face directly.

However, when the sword energies clashed, the three were left speechless. What they had thought to be a sure victory turned out to be effortlessly blocked by Ji Yang’s sword energies.

The two sides reached a stalemate in power.

Such a result exceeded the trio’s expectations. After all, this was the essence of the sword, one of the most aggressive among many essences. Furthermore, Li Daoyi from the Xuantian Sect did not hold back; they both witnessed the formidable power of those sword energies moments ago.

Yet this powerful sword energy was easily thwarted by Ji Yang.

“Damn it, what kind of essence does this boy possess?” shouted the cultivator from the Blood Separation Sect.

Although they didn’t know the mysteries behind Ji Yang’s sword energies, there was certainly an essence at play.

The problem was that the three had failed to discern the essence Ji Yang wielded from his attack, putting them at a disadvantage in the upcoming duel.

As the sword energies dissipated, several skeletons suddenly emerged from the surrounding darkness, closing in on Ji Yang.

Ji Yang casually unleashed a few sword energies, instantly scattering the approaching skeletons into fragments.

Just when Ji Yang thought he had dealt with these skeletons, a dense black smoke erupted from the shattered skulls. In the blink of an eye, Ji Yang’s body was enveloped by the black mist.

“Hahaha, you’ve fallen for it, boy!”

The Heaven Demon Sect cultivator manipulating the flag from a distance wore a proud expression!

The other two also showed delight, cupping their hands and saying,

“Fellow Daoist Feng is indeed impressive.”

“Falling into your essence of decay, this boy will surely find it hard to cope.”

“If I’m not mistaken, once your essence is perfected, you might even glimpse the essence of life and death in the future.”

“Hehe, as expected of Fellow Daoist Li Daoyi; this essence indeed stems from a treasure of our Demon Sect, but to claim it leads to an understanding of life and death is a bit premature.”

While this Heaven Demon Sect cultivator feigned humility, a hint of pride gleamed in his eyes.

The essence of decay seemed inconspicuous, yet once an ordinary cultivator got a taste of it, they would gradually succumb to stagnation. Their primordial spirits and True Essence within the body would slowly dissipate, ultimately turning them into a dried corpse.

However, concerning the essence of life and death, he truly had little understanding—he could only explore that in the future.

While the three were laughing, a faint voice emerged from the black mist:

“Quite interesting.”

As soon as these words were spoken, the joy vanished from the faces of the three, and they turned their attention back to the mist. The Heaven Demon Sect cultivator, clutching the Seven Stars Soul Drawing Flag, prepared to launch another attack.

But before he could steady his hold, an intense light burst forth from the black mist.

Once the light faded, the black mist completely disappeared, and Ji Yang’s figure reappeared before the three.

At this moment, Ji Yang was entirely wrapped in illusory feathers, while an inconspicuous black mist flowed around his arm. This was the essence of decay that Ji Yang had accidentally absorbed.

Seeing the black mist on Ji Yang’s arm, the Heaven Demon Sect cultivator once again revealed delight and said to the two beside him:

“He’s wounded; take advantage of this…”

But before he could finish his sentence, a flash of black lightning flickered across Ji Yang’s arm.

The black mist that coiled around his arm was instantly disintegrated by the lightning, vanishing without a trace.

Watching his essence be so easily dismantled by Ji Yang, the Heaven Demon Sect cultivator’s expression turned quite grim.

The Blood Separation Sect cultivator beside him appeared wary.

He had already experienced the power of that black lightning calamity and hadn’t expected Ji Yang to wield such means. Could it be that the lightning calamity within this person was truly infinite?

For a moment, all three of their expressions darkened. The level of difficulty posed by Ji Yang far exceeded their imagination. Moreover, Ji Yang hadn’t even taken the initiative to attack yet, which made them doubt if they were truly capable opponents for him.

“Hmph, this boy seems tough, but in reality, he is already on the verge of collapse; otherwise, he wouldn’t be on the defensive all the time. Let’s work together and see how long he can hold out.”

Seeing this, the Heaven Demon Sect cultivator quickly spoke up.

The other two agreed, thinking it made a lot of sense. Perhaps his essence was purely defensive, otherwise, why wouldn’t he attack?

Besides, he had previously battled subtly with that copper mirror, so he must not be in good shape now.

The three didn’t dwell on their thoughts any longer and launched another round of attacks against Ji Yang.

This time, Ji Yang did not passively defend against their assaults; instead, he began to attack proactively.

The only reason he hadn’t attacked earlier was to gain a clearer understanding of the essences wielded by the trio. Now that he had gathered enough information, he no longer held back.

In the next moment, Ji Yang charged towards the Xuantian Sect cultivator with his hoe in hand, prioritizing him because his essence attack was the strongest.

After some battles, Ji Yang’s mastery of his own essence became increasingly refined.

In the state of the Essence of War, he had absolute control over his surroundings. Whether it was spells or mystical arts, as long as Ji Yang wished, he could even dissect the magical nodes, identifying their weaknesses.

Moreover, every attack he launched was imbued with his essence.

With the enhancement of his essence, even ordinary sword energies could unleash power comparable to that of the essence of the sword. This was also the reason Ji Yang was able to extinguish the Xuantian Sect cultivator’s essence of the sword earlier.

Of course, this was also due to the fact that the essence condensation of the cultivator could not compare to his own.

Simply put, the Essence of War acted like a buff, enhancing Ji Yang’s combat abilities and putting him in a state akin to an absolute domain. It also endowed his attacks with essence, making even a casual strike far more powerful than usual.

Although there were no unique attributes of the essence, it could be used against other essences while negating many negative effects brought by them.

However, this essence also had corresponding drawbacks: it could not operate over long distances. If the distance was too great, the essence on Ji Yang’s sword energies would slowly dissipate, subsequently reducing their power.

Nevertheless, this weakness would fade as the essence condensation increased.

But for now, close-range combat was unavoidable.

Seeing Ji Yang charge at him with the hoe, Li Daoyi appeared flustered but quickly regained his composure. Even if their combined essences couldn’t kill Ji Yang, the use of essence was still linked to their True Essence within the body.

Moreover, in terms of True Essence consumption, they were not lacking. As cultivators of elite sects, they had thoroughly prepared for this trip into the secret realm, carrying plenty of pills and other treasures for restoring their magical power.

As long as they could hold out a bit longer, they could wear Ji Yang down, even if it meant exhausting him.

The three of them now reached a consensus in their thoughts.